S02E02: Private Delivery of Education in Developing Countries

The World Isn't Flat

Private school education is on the rise in many developing countries. While this phenomenon has been driven by middle and upper-class demand for quality education and state failure to provide it, there has been a parallel trend of low-cost private schools catering to families living on just a few dollars a day. In this episode we talk about three parts of the debate surrounding this transformation: 1) What's behind the rise of private education; 2) The role of the state in the face of increasing private provision of education, and 3) the long-run implication of private education. This is Part I of a series on state capacity in developing countries with a focus on public goods. In conversation, David, Shahrukh, Jovan, and Adrien. The music in this podcast is "Clandestino" (1998) by Manu Chao.